


Finding Us Again

by imperialMachine



Category: Solar Opposites
Genre: Alien Biology, Angst, Attempted Murder, Cheating, Divorce, Getting Back Together, Kidnapping, M/M, Made up character, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-28
Updated: 2020-07-28
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:15:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 15,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25580449
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imperialMachine/pseuds/imperialMachine
Summary: Terry and Korvo aren't together anymore. Terry is dating and living with his new girlfriend but he can't help missing his ex-partner.
Relationships: Korvotron "Korvo"/Terry (Solar Opposites)
Kudos: 27





	1. Chapter 1

These past few weeks had been hell for Jesse and her brother. They mostly had to sit and watch Terry and his new girlfriend be gross by being a couple. They just wanted to hang out with their dad, but the snooty bitch girlfriend, Kayden, keeps ruining everything just by mentioning the law or how cold she is. It’s not their fault that the weather just so happens to be chilly today. 

Later in the evening, Korvo drove up to Terry's girlfriend's house to pick up the replicants. Their eyes perked up when the saw the familiar family car stop in front of the house, relieved that they finally get the leave. The two ran to the vehicle and quickly got inside. From there, Terry sees his ex-partner through the passenger window. They made eyes contact for a split second, then Korvo flickered his eyes away. After being with the man for so long, he could tell their optical connection was intolerable to him, maybe making him a bit sad. The sadness didn't come from Korvo, he was sad himself.

Regardless of his feelings, he smiled and gave the replicants an indolent wave. He didn't want them to leave because it won't give Korvo a reason to see him. They waved back. With that, the car starts and they were driving off from the street.

Terry sighed, regretting his decision to move in with this new squeeze. The replicants seemed to hate him because of this, or so he thinks. He wondered what Korvo thought of all this. _Why would Korvo care about you_ , the intrusive voice in his head berated. Somehow Terry thinks Korvo wouldn't care about him living with Kayden, but that didn't stop him from wishing he did. Maybe if he had the courage to walk up to him and ask, maybe he'd find out how Korvo really feels. Courage was hard to come by these days. 

The thought of them together in the living at their house plays in his head, just two buddies watching a movie together. Sometimes Korvo would be working on something small so he could be with Terry downstairs, instead of being alone and cramped in the ship. But when he wasn't working, they'd just watch TV, though Terry does most of the watching. Unbeknownst to his knowledge, Korvo would nap on his partner's shoulder, trapping him in the same position for hours until his arm would get numb or when Korvo wakes up from a sudden sound. Terry never mentions this to him, afraid that if he does, Korvo would stop.

A pair of arms wrapped themselves around his chest, startling him for a second. "Hey, you're gonna keep me waiting?" She asked, as he turned to see her smile.

He took her warm hands and unwraps them from him, holding onto them. They were smaller than his, a pink undertone and warm, nothing like Korvo's. "Sorry." He tells her.

Not wanting to be alone with his thoughts, he pulls her into the house. If he stayed outside any longer, he won't be able to stop himself from thinking about Korvo. God knows it'll only make him doleful. 

The car passes several houses, lit by the outdoor lanterns along with the passing of street lamps. Terry still occupies his mind from when he last saw him. He didn't want to admit that he was hurt seeing him again. Normally, he would just avoid looking at Terry all together, but his curiosity got the best of him. Curiosity gets the best of him again when he asks the replicants if they had fun at Kayden's house, really he wanted to know if Terry was doing okay without him. 

Who was he kidding? Of course, Terry was doing better than him. His girlfriend is a lawyer! Of all the broads to hook up with, he chose a woman of the law. That's way better than a space alien with an engineering degree and two kids plus whatever Pupa is. 

Yumyulack said something about Kayden complaining about the weather the whole time, but Korvo was just drowning in his self-esteem issues to listen properly. It wasn't until Jesse said, "She kept taking Terry and was making out with him in front of us!" His heart sank after hearing that. The air became thick as he swallowed, not sure what to say next.

"She sucks." Yumyulack groaned, crossing his arms and looking out the window. It made the elder feel better knowing his replicant agrees with him.

“Why do we have to go?” Jesse asked. “Terry was the one who left, shouldn’t he make the effort to come see us?”

Korvo frowned, silently agreeing with her. He wasn't sure Terry would ever visit them even for the replicants. “He’s still part of our family, even if he isn’t living with us.” He says, wanting to believe that Terry thinks the same way.

They pulled up to the driveway and the replicants got out of the car and went into the house, too tired and disappointed from the day they had. Korvo stayed in the vehicle, leaning back against the rough cushion of this busted up seat. When he picked up the replicants from the broad's house, Terry looked at him. The thought of their eyes snatching glances then they happened to meet, made his face warm just thinking about it. As quickly as the thought of Terry came, they left with the same pace. He had to remind himself that they aren't a thing anymore. As much as he missed him while they were together, their constant fighting didn't solve anything, it only made things worse. Korvo reminded himself, _it's better this way_ , even when he doesn't believe it.

The glove compartment opens when with a single push of a button then he grabs the joint and a lighter. Sticking it in his mouth, he lights it up and takes the first suck. He wants Terry to be a part of his and the replicant's life, but can he really handle seeing him with someone else? No, he couldn't, but Terry is still part of this family.

Pulling the small stick of lettuce from his lips, he examines it. Terry was the one who introduced him to the ganja right after he smoked some with a couple of frat boys from the college by the cement factory. At first, he didn't like the stuff, but it grew on him. It took away most of his anxieties, including his occasional thoughts of kissing Terry. He finally did it when they were smoking in the ship together because he asked him so nicely; by that, Terry kept saying please, until he mentioned he was going to smoke with the college kids, which Korvo changed his mind. It was one too many puffs that made him lean in close and meet Terry's lips. Korvo didn't realize they were on the floor.

Terry was the one who taught him not to be so uptight all the time. The weed helped wonders with that. He played with the joint in between his fingers, wishing to Terry was with him right now instead of being with his "girlfriend". The thought of them having dinner together and doing finger stuff, replacing him, it made him ill. Korvo looked at the moon shining through the car window. Seems like the moon is keeping him company tonight. 

* * *

The morning danced on the street as it wakes him from his slumber. Terry could never get used to seeing the brown hair, the smell of artificial flowers and yellow sheets. If only he could wake up feeling like sunshine, like the color yellow. He was always used to seeing blue when he wakes up, and never feeling it when he was with him. Blue was his happy color, it still is. He used to wake up feeling the blue's arms around him, which he found cute because Korvo was always so secretive when it comes to cuddles. 

Terry didn't bother waking up Kayden. Instead, the alarm clock she set for work, woke her up. Terry turned away from her and pretended to sleep so she wouldn't bother him. She smacked the clock off and turned to give Terry a kiss on the cheek. The bed shifts as she gets up and goes to the bathroom.

The first time he met Kayden, it was nice because he just got his heart broken by Korvo. They had just gotten into a huge fight and, thinking about it now, Terry doesn’t remember what it was about. Kayden was the one who approached him at the bar, talked to him, make him feel less lonely and sad about his partner. She made him smile, something he hadn't done in such a long time. It was close attempt to make him laugh, but that's all it was.

Eventually, coming home felt like torture. There was always tension in the air whenever he and Korvo were in the same room. Dinner couldn't be ate without some kind of dispute, so the replicants would just leave to their rooms, leaving them alone, which didn't help at all. The nights were always colder than usual, aside from having to sleep on the couch because Korvo couldn't. He was being considerate of his back problems. Sometimes, he wished his partner would just checked up on him and tell him to come back to bed, or better yet, tell him to stay.

The night he left home, they were arguing about something again. He doesn't remember what he had said to Korvo to tick him off, but before he knew it, his partner was throwing him out of the house. Korvo was crying and so was he. The door slammed shut as he stared at it for a while before walking to a public park. There wasn't any place he could think of to go.

That night he laid on a bench with the stars as company They reminded him of his partner, pretty and far from his reach, hard to please and always watching from above where he planted a fantastical pedestal. The thought came to him when he realized what made Korvo so upset. He regretted telling him that he didn't need him.

He finds himself at the bar again, but this time Kayden was there too. The many drinks he's had made him open to to her, telling her about getting kicked out of his house— without telling her why, and she offered him to stay at her place. One thing led to another and he found himself naked in her bed, having sexcapades with her, things he never tried with Korvo. It was scary and exhilarating, especially for an alien like himself. After their sinful act, when she was asleep, Terry was wide awake, guilt consuming him when he realized he cheated on Korvo.

He tried to talk himself out of the guilt, claiming that "we broke up", "Korvo doesn't love me anymore," "I don't want Korvo anymore." It hurt to think that because it wasn't true at all. He was just hurt that they can't kiss and make up, especially now that he's in someone else's bed. Legally they weren't married or bounded by any contract, except for being evacuation partners, it still felt wrong. It felt like he betrayed him.

Terry hadn't forgiven himself yet because if he did he'd be with his family.

When Terry heard the front door of the house clicked shut, he sat up from her bed. He watched from the window as she drove out of the driveway and into the street. The street was unfamiliar to him because it wasn’t his street, nor was this his house. Getting up from the warm comforts of the sheets, he pulled himself to the bathroom. He couldn't even look at himself in the mirror.

The cold floors reminded him of Korvo, how he used to creep up behind him and sleepily embraced him. They would brush their teeth together, do morning routines together that it was almost a habit. This bathroom was a stranger to him, having fancy hand towels and bar hand soap instead of bottled hand soup.

Kayden's house had pictures of her family and some of animals that gave Terry the heebie-jeebies. The pictures of animals didn't creep him out, knowing that the pets in the image have fallen into the hands of taxidermy, was. Terry held the picture frame of her and her parents in his hands. He couldn't help think about his own family picture, with Korvo, pupa and the replicants.

Terry frowns, biting his lip to stop himself from crying. He really missed them. Setting the picture back on the table, he wonders how Korvo was handling the pupa now that he’s gone. 

Flipping through the channels, nothing came of interests to him. He stopped when he saw a Funbucket episode playing, the one thing that both he and Korvo enjoyed watching together. Quickly, he shuts the TV off before he starts feeling sad again. The couch creaked when he got up from it and paced around, thinking of something better to do than sit and mope over his ex. 

Looking outside, the neighbors were talking amongst each other. The idea of socializing with his new neighbors seemed like a good idea, but quickly left his mind. They were nothing like the ones back home. These new neighbors were snobby, rich, and wore boring clothes. Terry could not have been more bored in his life.

* * *

The replicants were at school while Korvo worked on the ship. He would occasionally call for Terry to hand him a screw while he was putting something together only to quickly realize he was alone in the space cruiser. The moment of melancholy would bitterly wash over him, then he'd shake the feeling away, regret in the pit of his stomach as he was reminded of Terry's absence. However, working on bigger machinery has gotten more bothersome. Sure, the green alien never bother to lay a hand on the metal but his presence was calming, and though he didn't help, he was still his trusty assistant. It was nice knowing that if he hurt himself or died, someone was there to help him, but Terry wasn't here anymore.

After the finishing touches, it occurred to him to pick up the earpods for Yumyulack. He still doesn't know why his replicant needs those when they don't have ear holes.

Instead of taking the shortest route to the mall, Korvo decided to take the long way just to avoid the route he and Terry used to take when they were together. It'll spare him the memories and comments his ex used to make about the neighbor's yard looking better than theirs or how he stole the neighbor's cat just to see what it would be like to have a pet. Korvo smiled that the memory.

The mall was packed with mediocre humans who fight over cheap items. And Korvo is one of those people. There were only off-brand earpods left because all the white moms bought it for their kids just so they could look cool. He grabs them. Yumyulack won't notice that they're fake.

Just when he thought he was unlucky, Korvo finds the familiar green skin of his former partner. He couldn't believe he was here. He expected to simply walk off and ignore him but his legs won't go in the other direction. It seemed like Terry was unaware of his presence. Like a creep, Korvo began to follow his ex throughout the mall, until he saw him go into a clothes store.

Korvo wanted to approach him but the inner voice kept reminding him that Terry was better off without him. He even said so himself.

Being at the Kayden's house wasn't as fun as he thought it would be. There was an attempt to speak with the neighbors but they weren't as friendly as he wanted to think they would be. In fact, they didn't care that he was an alien— which the neighbors from his former home freaked out about for the past few months when they arrived until they eventually got used to it, unaccepting but still nicer than those snobs.

Terry had taken on many transient hobbies in the span of four hours just to avoid the quietness of his intrusion of Kayden's house. But the silence saw him as an enemy, so much so that it drove him away— all the way to the mall. That's where he found himself. The quiet was too unkind to his presence, and the only way to sooth out the stillness was to be in a place where socializing occurred almost constantly, even just listening in on other's conversations was better than the altered peace in her home. Plus, there's hot people to gawk at and stuff to spend Kayden's money on. It'll surely get him to forget Korvo.

That's a lie. There was intent in his choice of malls. Kayden lived on the other side of town, close to a mall that's near the city. Terry chose the mall that he used to hang out in before he and Korvo broke up, the one where they went to see Funbucket (only to find out that it wasn't actually Funbucket, but nobody wants to mention that in the house because Korvo doesn't want to admit that he liked a human cartoon enough to make an anatomically correct version of it in real life). He did it in hopes to see his ex-lover again. Though he shouldn't because he's with someone else, which may or may not be a serious thing. Terry hasn't decided yet.

But Kayden was human and he wasn't. It doesn't count, right? Terry can't be with a human forever. He could easily outlive her— better yet, she dies a horrible death from whatever sci-fi stuff he might get into. Scratch that. Korvo wouldn't be around for him to borrow anything from the ship, or they might leave him on the planet while they finish the mission. 

Terry shook his head. He doesn't want to think about that. What he does want to think about are these nice shorts, which may be too short for his long legs but it doesn't matter. It's not like anyone's going to see anything of his that hasn't already been seen. It'll probably give Kayden a reason to break up with him.

Once he has his fix of everything in the clothes store, he waltz his way to the first best place to be when he's sad; the ice cream shop. If only Shlorp had frozen sweet milk made out of cows then maybe he would stay and die, instead of running off into space with a blue hottie and get his heart broken. If he was being honest, it was his fault; the running away part, not the falling in love with Korvo part. It was Korvo's fault for being so... so much himself that he couldn't resist.

He found himself in front of an ice cream shop. It wasn't his favorite because he doesn't enjoy ice cream made from goats. He stopped because this was Korvo's favorite place. Well, it wasn't, but it was the only place his ex didn't ridicule the taste of frozen sweetness. 

A smile crept on his face, but he quickly frowns as the bitterness sinks in when he realized how much he's thinking about the guy. The thought of Korvo enjoying the treat pops into his mind. He wondered why he liked goat ice cream more than regular ones. Terry reached for the door; he was about to find out.

From the reflection of the glass, he notices a familiar blue alien head wearing a black long jacket with the signature green gem. He whipped his head around to find Korvo staring back at him, his eyes widen and just as shocked as he was.

"Korvo." He breathes, feeling the tension fall from his shoulders.

He froze, like time itself had stopped him from any sort of movement. When he saw Terry take a step towards him, he ran away. This was too much of an emotional overload for him to sit tight and take whatever life throws at him. He doesn't stop until he finds himself in the parking lot, trying to catch his breath.

“Korvo!” He hears the breathlessness of the familiar followed by the rapid tapping of his shoes as he chases him down.

Panicked, Korvo hid behind one of the cars. He tried to calm down by slowing down his breathing. Holding his head in his hands, he thought about what just happened and why he freaked out about Terry seeing him. He wondered if Terry knew he was stalking him and he turned to confront him. _Terry wouldn't do that, he's not smart enough to catch on that someone's onto him or maybe he is_? He wouldn't know since he hadn't spoke to him privately or seen him go on about his business.

He covered his mouth, stopping his loud huffing. The footsteps startled him as he sunk to the ground, stiffened in place. He hoped Terry would grow bored of this little game of cat and mouse so he could go home and forget any of this happened. As much as he wanted to see Terry, he doesn't. It'll save him the trouble of complicated emotions and the love that was left unfinished. He doesn't want to think about it. Besides, he doesn't want Terry to know that he was stalking him.

Terry searched in between the cars; from the last place he saw the blue blur disappeared to. It was instinct to try to catch Korvo, but what would he say once he finds him? _"Hey Korvo, I miss you. Please take me back."_ Or _"Korvo, I never stopped loving you. Leaving was the biggest mistake of my life."_ That'll surely make him heads over heels for him again. A sigh escapes his mouth. Korvo wasn't an idiot. Those were things he would swoon over, not his intelligent ex-lover. So, much for binging rom-coms for love advice on how to get your ex back.

This was the last car in the row of cars. He looks behind it anyway despite feeling hopeless about finding him. There, he finds Korvo kneeling on the ground. They locked eyes again as a breath was caught in his throat. Knowing that he was going to run again, Terry chased after him, skipping steps as he tackles him down without much thought. 

“Get off me, Terry!” Korvo struggled to get him off, but Terry pins his arms to the gross parking lot ground. He cursed at himself for his ex having more strength than him. 

“I will if you stop running away from me.” Terry looked him in the eyes, as he stopped struggling and going limb, which meant that he would oblige. 

Terry got off of him and pulled him up. He dusted himself off while he felt him watching his every movement, unaware of the admiration in Terry's eyes. His first instinct was to run again now that he backed off, afraid that he would mention Kayden and it'll hurt him again but Korvo didn't want to leave just yet. He didn't want to let go of Terry.

“So,” the green started, “how are the replicants?” He mentally punched himself. The nervousness took over, messing up his thought as he wanted to ask Korvo how _he_ was doing.

“They’re fine.” Korvo answered, despite the awkwardness creeping over his shoulder. 

Terry narrowed his eyes down to his ex-lover. “That’s good.”

They don’t know how they got themselves in this situation. One moment they were awkwardly talking and rubbing their forearms for comfort, the next they were pulling on each other for a desperate kiss against a stranger's Toyota. Terry pulled on his hand, guiding him towards his car. Korvo was he was too lovestruck and bothered to refuse. They slipped into the back seat and went back to getting tongue tied.

The shorter alien sat on taller’s lap while tasting his lips and getting his hands lost on his shirt, filling his senses with green lime. Terry held onto Korvo’s waist, pulling him closer and grinding against his mound. Korvo lets himself explore the softness of his lover's warm skin, planting kisses and small bites, too eager to keep his teeth to himself. As much as he missed him, he hated how everything seemed to disappear whenever they were together. He couldn't think straight.

However, Terry thought otherwise. He loved how the world disappeared like it was just two of them. He couldn't find that with Ansel or Kayden. The kisses turned into bites as his hands came up to unzip the jacket, but he felt the other's hands stop him. "We can't do this here." Korvo panted in his ear, turning him on even further. 

He captured Korvo's lips again, rendering him breathless and making his lover forget about his hesitation. The sexual miasma coming from them made it hard to ignore the increasing arousal in their loins. "We could go somewhere." 

The promise was unkept as Terry relaxes in the seat with Korvo straddling his hips. He wrapped his arms around the green's neck as he explored his mouth with his tongue. Terry managed to unzip the jacket completely, touching his lover's chest and the heartbeat underneath. 

The feeling should've made him overjoyed but it did the opposite. His lips trembled as a whimper escapes him, tears seeping from his closed lids. Terry wasn't his anymore. But kissing him and holding him felt so right, it was a guilty pleasure that he couldn't say no to.

It didn't take long for Terry to feel the tremors coming from his love to know that he was upset. He pulled away, opening his eyes to see Korvo stained in tears with a quivering frown on his lips. "Hey," his voice was soft as he cupped his face. "What's wrong?"

"This." Korvo manages. "Us." His eyes met with Terry's, wet and disheartening. He pushes the green hand away and scoots away from him, closing the opening of his jacket. He averted his eyes to avoid seeing the same hurt in them. "We can't do this." Without letting Terry get a word in, he clicks the car door open and ran out.

"Wait!" Terry reached but wasn't fast enough to grab him. He got out of the vehicle to find Korvo already in his car down the aisle of cars. When Korvo pulled out, he rushed to the window, tapping it with his hand as he begged, "Korvo, don't leave." He doesn't realize he was crying too. "We can talk about this!" 

Korvo doesn't give his attention to him and drives off, gripping the steering wheel as he wipes his tears. 

Terry couldn't do much but watch the alien he loves drove away. Walking to his car to saw himself in the reflection; his shirt was wrinkled and his fly was open. He didn't realize Korvo was trying to undress him too. A small satisfied smile crept on his face. _That's so fucking hot._

When Korvo got home, he locked himself in his and Terry's room, or what it used to be. This room brought too many memories to spend long periods of time in, especially when he didn't need to be in here. However, today was different. He needed Terry's comfort and the only thing that was closest to that was this room. His smell still lingered. Korvo never bothered throwing away the empty cans sitting on the nightstand. Sometimes, at night when he's the most loneliest, he'd pull out Terry's long jacket, the one he arrived to earth with, and take a whiff of it, even though it hasn't been washed since the landing. It still smelt like Terry, plus the orange juice pupa spilled on him. 

He sat by the door, his face in his knees and his back against the wood. His eyes still burned from the crying session from earlier, and his face was hot from their moment together. He couldn't believe they just did that. It was like they were catching up on something they missed for a long time. Had it really been a long time though?

Korvo touched his lips. For him, it's been a while since he's engaged in physical intimacy with anyone— anyone alive. And it felt good to touch someone, for his cold hands to finally touch someone with warmth in their skin. It was better knowing that his first contact was the same alien who he had lost contact with and so desperately needed.

However, it came with a price. The feelings of guilt occupied him with bliss. He shouldn't have done that with Terry, knowing damn well that he is taken.

The pain grew in his chest again. This was exactly what he wanted to avoid; seeing Terry, falling in love with him again— well, he never fell out of it if anyone was being honest— and it hurt more knowing that he doesn't feel the same. Korvo bit the side of his cheek. Terry only kissed him because the feeling was completely physical, just like Korvo's was. That's a lie. He clearly wanted him back in his life, wanted to take back all the things he said that, wanted to take back kicking him out, maybe even apologize despite his reluctance to do so.

His cheeks flushed, wondering what could've happened if he stayed in the car with Terry. They would've fornicated and probably get caught by a security guard then kicked out of the mall. He mentally slapped himself for feeling embarrassed from doing the nasty with his ex. After all these years, he still had that affect on him. 

* * *

The car pulled up into the driveway next to the other car, tires screeching as it stops in front of the garage door. He stared at the red car next to him. It belonged to Kayden. He forgot about her.

Opening the door to the house, he finds his girlfriend sitting on the couch smiling at small pieces of paper. The sound of the door closing startled her from her thoughts, forcing her attention to Terry. Her smile widened. "Terry!" She beamed, holding up small pieces of paper. "I got us tickets to a cabin in the woods! It came in fives so we could invite your family to come with us." 

Hearing that make his cheeks hurt from how big he was smiling. "Yeah!" This was perfect. He could invite everyone over and he could be alone with Korvo again— that is, if he agrees to come.

Later that night after his one-sided conversation with Kayden over dinner, he texts Korvo about the small cabin get together. Within a few minutes, his phone buzzes and he wasted no time to read the reply. He felt his smile strain from his excitement, but it quickly dies down when he realize that he said, "the replicants could go." 

When Terry asked if he would be joining them because of the extra ticket, he said he didn't know.

He read the answer over again to see if he had said something wrong to turn Korvo off from the trip. He didn't understand why his ex wouldn't agree to come along, especially since they had their moment together in his girlfriend's car. Before he knew it, the phone was ringing for Korvo to pick up.

The phone picks up and he doesn't give a warm hello and goes straight to it. "What do you mean you don't know?"

He hears a sigh from the other side and the sound of subtle movement. "Did you forget about the pupa?"

Terry curses. He _did_ forget. The simple idea of having a human babysit the pupa pops into his head, but was quickly booted because now that it can alter memories of a living organism, the pupa was as good as if it was alone. Because of this, Korvo resorted into leaving it in a incubator to prevent it from touching anything it can alter. _A living organism,_ he thought. The only thing that can care for the pupa would be something that wasn't living. "Patricia, she can take care of it when you're gone." He says.

There was an immediate silence afterwards, as if Korvo was thinking. "You want me to dig seven feet down for Patricia to babysit Pupa for three days?"

 _Yes._ "I mean, I can come over to help you." He shrugs, a smirk played on his lips, knowing that he won't be coming over just to help Korvo dig. "I just want you to come is all." His voice softens. 

There was a faint sound of snickering coming from the other side of the phone. "Wow, phrasing." Korvo joked, making him giggle. "Why do you want me to join you so bad?" His tone was like any cat; curious, then it gets lower, almost like a whisper. "Is Kayden not entertaining enough?"

He frowns from the last question. Entertaining. Sure, Kayden wasn't entertaining for him, but for Korvo to think that he was his entertainment as well, was like a stab in the heart. Korvo wasn't temporary like any "entertainment", he is constant. "I don't want you to be left out."

There was a long silence until he hears a sigh. "Okay, fine. I'll go."

Then it was quiet again, comfortable this time.

Terry played with his extra fingers, popping them in and out of his forearms. "So, do want me to come over to help dig up Patricia?" He hoped Korvo would say yes.

"No," Korvo replied immediately. "I'll handle it."

"Oh, okay." He dejects.

It was awkward again. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow night."

He wanted to say, "I love you" like he had done before, but he bids a simple goodbye. It would've been weird to say that to him since they weren't a thing anymore. When he clicks off, he could feel his heart beating out of his chest with the realization that he gets to see Korvo again.

“Honey, are you done with the bathroom?” Kayden called from the other side. Oh, right. He forgot about her.

Back at the alien house, Korvo crept down the stairs and into the backyard with a shovel in hand. Going over to the dark spot where he buried Patricia, the head of the shovel sinks into the dirt, he began to dig. He had told the replicants about the trip and they were just as excited as Terry was, but not so much about Kayden joining them.

The screen door opens and closes but Korvo was too much into his own head to hear it. Yumyulack picked up a spare shovel and started digger next to him. He doesn't look knowing that it's his replicant. "You're suppose to be asleep."

“Yeah, well, so are you.” He says, while shoving. “Are you and Terry getting back together?” 

The question made Korvo choke on his own spit. “What?”

“You heard me, old man.”

Korvo looked around the yare to change the topic of conversation, but knowing his replicant, he won’t let up. “Terry’s happy with someone else.” He hated to admit that. 

“But are you happy?” Korvo hated how Yumyulack was putting him on the spot like this, practically forcing him to talk about his feelings. 

“I’m… happy for him.” His eyes averted. 

“Didn’t answer my question, but okay.” He mumbles. “It’s just Jesse misses Terry. And you know, she’s my sister. It’s funny when she’s sad, but not like this.” It was strange to hear his replicant talk like this. Of course, he knows that Jesse does miss Terry too, but if it really bothered her she would be the one to say something about it instead of Yumyulack. He knew the truth. As humble as he is, Korvo never corrects his replicant that _he's_ the one who misses Terry.

He pats his replicant’s head, and gives him a side hug. “We’ll be okay. If it makes you feel better, I’ll invite Terry over after the cabin trip.”

“He has to show up more often so things could be somewhat normal.”

“Deal.” Korvo playfully rubbed Yumyulack’s head. He wasn't sure if he could keep that promise, but he would say anything to make Yumyulack happy, even if it was a lie. “Okay, let’s get Patricia out before the sun comes out.”

When they finished digging up Patricia, they left the container out in the backyard. She was going to go back in it later anyway. Korvo adjusted her programming so that she was more like a nanny than a housewife— just in case she went back to her murder rampage again and he wasn't there to stop her.

The sun had come out, which gave Korvo time to pack some things, the essentials— it's not like he's going to need a lot of of stuff. Plus, he needed to make space for sci-fi stuff because he can't be an alien without them.

When the evening came, Terry and Kayden showed up in their shared car. Jesse gave Terry a hug while Yumyulack side eyed him, but he knew the teen wanted a hug too. Korvo kept his eyes to himself to avoid the jealousy rising in his chest. He just knows that Terry and Kayden were holding hands, even when he can't see it. They weren't holding hands.

The replicants rode with Korvo while Terry went with Kayden. He wished he was with Korvo though, taking shotgun instead of Yumyualck. He couldn't be more jealous of a kid than right now! Terry would trade it all just to hear him talk about the Pahoehoe funnel than to listen to Kayden go on about a gang and the seriousness of their relationship.

After hours of driving in the dark, they finally made it to Canada. Of all places, why Canada just for a one day trip in a cabin? Korvo doesn't know. It further proves his fact about how stupid humans are. And from his knowledge, thanks to Jesse, Kayden hated the cold.

They parked next to each other with Korvo on the right side. It was a head turn away from looking directly at Terry, but he forced himself to stiffen his neck just to keep his eyes to himself. He's only here for the replicants because they wanted to play in the snow and stab each other with icicles. He's _not_ to mess around with Terry and get in the way of his blooming relationship with a human who has the power to take his house away from him if he so much as breathe in her direction. Well, he is an alien who can turn her into a pickle if he wanted.

The replicants got out of the car and ran around the cabin, laughing and mocking each other as he examined the place. It was made from raw wood, and Korvo nearly cried from seeing how young the trees were before they got cut up and made into a cabin. The poor things.

His sadness quickly went away when he explored upstairs to see how neat and clean it was— primitive for his liking, but still nice nonetheless. He can smell the remains of the trees emanating from the bark. It must be an aesthetic choice for humans to enjoy dead bodies as much as he does. 

There were three bedrooms, which he found strange because the tickets came in five. Korvo picked the smallest room since he's not going to share with anyone else. He pulled the luggage into the room and began to unpack. The sound of the replicants playing caught his attention and he moves to the window to see them having a snowball fight... without a proper winter clothing. His first instinct was to scold them, them shove their small replicant bodies into a jacket and some mittens.

"Ahem!" Kayden excuses from the doorway. "Korvo." Her voice was strict.

His shoulders dropped, already ticked off by the sound of her voice. She didn't scare him and it was best to show her that. "Tiffany." He says, turning around to meet her cold gaze.

"It’s Kayden."

"It hardly matters."

She invited herself into the room, shoes clicking against the wood was she came near, still keeping her distance. "I came here to tell you to distance yourself from Terry."

He wasn't sure what she was talking about, until thought of their moment together made a light bulb turn on. There was no way she could've known about that. She tossed something at him and he catches it. Opening his hand, he looks at the little green diamond laying in his palm. He moved his foot up and saw that his shoe was missing the signature gem. 

"Next time, you decide to make a move on my boyfriend you're gonna wish you hadn't joined us." She says, then storms out of the room, rocking the floor with her steps.

Korvo examines the gem in his hand. She can't threaten an alien like him— he could literally kill her— and she can't tell him what to do! He sat on the bed and attached the gem to his boot. He peeks out the window again and sees Terry making snow angels with Jesse while Yumyulack climbs a tree to try to jump on the snowman they previously built.

Later in the day, after everyone did some exploring around the area while Terry tried to get away from Kayden and Korvo was trying to stay away from both of them, they ended up sitting by a campfire outside on the porch, wrapped in blankets and sipping hot chocolate. Except for Korvo. He was already annoyed by Kayden being touchy with Terry, seeing them cuddling together would only further his lament for being single and longing for the guy. Even they didn't cuddle that like when they were together. If Korvo took the time to look at Terry, then he would've noticed that he had his eyes on him all day.

Korvo held a can of beer to his lips as he sipped the liquid, zoning out the sounds of laughter and the sunset in front of his eyes. His room had the best view here. It was a shame that he had to see it alone. 

The thought of Kayden holding onto Terry's arm and complaining that it was cold pops into his head. He grimaces. That bitch. Her smirk and dirty looks pissed him off. When she forced a kiss on Terry, he had to pretend it didn't bother him. It clearly did. Terry gently pushed her away and smiled awkwardly. She had won for the moment. "Fucking bitch." He mumbles, taking another swig.

Terry took several glances at the stairs, hoping that Korvo will come down and join them again. He couldn't blame him though. If he was in his shoes, he would be fuming. Now that he thinks about it, seeing Korvo with someone else would be heartbreaking. Korvo is a special kind of idiot, and Terry presumes that it would take another level-headed genius to woo the man, probably someone who understands physics and engineering. It made him nearly to burst into tears from thinking about Korvo and his imaginary perfect partner being happy together and getting the ship done.

That's it! He needed to check up on him, make sure he wasn't thinking about someone else or dead. He stood up, excusing himself to the bathroom.

He wasted no time in cracking the door, barging in on his ex's privacy. He finds him sitting by the window, leaning over and resting his head in his arms on the window sill. 

There were several beer cans laying on the floor next to his feet. He went over to pull him up from the seat and onto the bed. The smell of beer filled his senses as he set him down, but Korvo arms were still around his neck. 

His eyes were closed as he mumbles, "Please don't go, Terry."

It was loud enough for him to hear. The heartbreak doesn't matter anymore, all the things Korvo said to him and vice versa, doesn't matter anymore. Korvo really didn't want him to leave, and he never wanted to leave either. If only he wasn't asleep so they could make up and he could move back in again. His heart beat out of his chest from the joy he felt. Setting the blue arms onto the bed, he tucks Korvo in. 

Now he doesn't have a reason to stay with Kayden, the only thing to do was break up with her so he could run into Korvo's arms again. As much as he enjoyed the fancy recliner in her livingroom, being around his family was more fun than being reminded of her dead pets. Now that he thinks about it, he wasn't sure if there was a reason for him to be with her. She's nice but she's not Korvo.

When he slipped out of the room, he was met with his girlfriend leaning against the wall near the door. She was waiting for him. Her arms were crossed and her brows furrowed. "Kayden!" Terry shouts, forcing a smile onto his mouth. He was surprised she was waiting for him.

“What’s wrong with Korvo?” She didn't sound pleased.

“He passed out from drinking a bit too much and I was putting him to bed.” Terry answers, rubbing the back of his head.

Kayden made an overly dramatic gasp. “He was drinking while the kids were around? That’s dangerous, they could accidentally drink the alcohol. That’s child abuse.”

He flinched from the insinuation. “But he wasn’t around them.” He awkwardly shifts his feet, while thinking of a way to break up with Kayden. Since they were here, it wouldn't be fitting to dump her while they were on their trip. It would be pretty awkward to share a room with someone you just dumped for a blue hottie sleeping a room over.

“Whatever, Terry.” Her hair slaps him as she whipped it around and stomps into their room.

Terry joined the replicants downstairs and watched some TV with them, like the good ol' times. He kept moving towards the stairs just in case Korvo wakes up and decides to join them. 

Soon enough, it was late enough to be bedtime. The replicants went into their rooms while Terry went into his. He quickly finds the door to be locked. Jangling the knob for good measure and it still wouldn't open. He resorted to knocking but she doesn't respond. He signs, looking down the hall to where Korvo's room was.

He's sure he wouldn't mind if they shared.

When he goes over to Korvo's room, the door swings open and he sees the alien rush to the bathroom, holding his mouth. Terry follows him, finding him on his knees in front of the toilet and vomiting. He rubs his back and looks away from the crime scene. When the retching stops, he looks down to see Korvo wiping the spit from his mouth and holding his head. Right, he can't take his alcohol.

“Are you okay?” Terry asked, leaning against the sink.

He pushed himself away from the toilet. “Yeah, I think.” Pulling himself up, he closes the lid and flushes then takes a seat. 

Terry shyly touches his fingers together. “Um, Kayden locked me out of her room and I was wondering if I would room with you?”

He looks up at Terry, wondering if he was being serious for asking him that. He averted his gaze, thinking of a response. Terry's company would be much enjoyed, but he didn't want Kayden to be on his case again. Looking back at him again, he was giving him puppy eyes. If he says no, then his friend would be sleeping out in the cold, and he didn't want to do that to a friend. But Terry wasn't just his friend, he was also his ex— someone he hasn't gotten over yet. Korvo could feel his brain begin to fry from thinking too hard about this.

“Korvo?”

“Huh?” He flinched, snapping him out of his thoughts. Terry was still standing there waiting for his answer. 

“Can I room with you?”

His eyes was doing that thing again, where he knows he could just bend his will with a simple glance. "Fine." He stood up. "But you're sleeping on the floor."

Korvo goes into the room and stops by the door. Before he could ask him what was wrong, Korvo quickly told him to stay where he was. He obliged, watching him slip into the room. About two minutes later, Korvo was wearing pajamas... with pants. His brow twitched from the abnormal sleep attire his ex chose to wear. _Pants_. It offended him.

There were extra pillows and blankets somewhere around the house, which Terry took for his needs. He laid on the floor beside Korvo's bed with the blanket over him. They bid their goodnights and never shut their eyes.

Korvo stared at the ceiling rethinking his life choices and shivering from the cold. The wind from outside picked up, hitting the cabin with a breeze that slipped through the cracks of the wood. He hugged himself, but the coolness of his fingers were just as bad as the air in the room. He cursed to himself. He couldn't sleep if he felt like an ice cube.

“Korvo?” Terry called, his teeth chattering. 

“Y-yes?” He says immediately.

“Can I sleep with you? It’s really cold down here.” 

He sympathized with the green. As much as he's against Terry snuggling up with him in the small bed, he needed that right now. “Sure.”

He turned so he doesn't have to come face to face with his feelings— with Terry, while they slept. It would be another thing if something were to happen between them. He felt the other slip a leg in the blanket and then the weight of the bed shifting as he settles in. Korvo could already feel the warmth emanating from Terry's skin. Wanting more of it, he keeps his hands to himself, afraid that if he touched him, he wouldn't stop. 

When the tension dies down, he felt himself relax in the bed as the cushions consumed him. _This isn't so bad_ , he thought. Terry was like a heater to him. His blinking slowed as he was being lulled to sleep. Maybe he would be able to sleep tonight.

He was wrong. His eyes shot open the moment he felt the movement of an arm wrapping around his waist. Terry was closer to him, practically breathing down his neck. Korvo blushed. He wanted nothing more than to scream at his evacuation partner for touching him like this. But he says nothing.

It's been so long since he smelled Korvo's scent. He didn't realize how much he misses it until now. His grip was tighter, as he didn't realize he was holding onto him. A hum escapes his throat, reminding him of how soft and pudgy Korvo is. It made him want to hold onto him and never let go.

Unaware that his breath was on Korvo's neck, he felt him shudder, waking him from his light slumber. His eyes were still closed when he asked Korvo if he was okay. 

He nodded, trying to relax with Terry's arm still around him. He willed for himself to calm down and that they've done this before— _so it's no big deal._ Who was he kidding? Of course this was a big deal. If only the liquor would knock him out again instead of having his anxieties keep him up. He stared at the wall, nibbling on his bottom lip. This will probably be the last time Terry would ever be with him like this, because after this trip, they'd go back to being strangers again now that Kayden knows about their moment. 

Closing his eyes, his mind drifted to when they were in the car together. The feeling of Terry's lips against his brought back the thumping in his chest. He remembered how his former lover would touch his skin with gentle, eager hands. His face grew warmer, thinking about Terry doing things to him in the car if he hadn't left. It made his junk poke out of his mound from the thought. Opening his eyes, he moves to tuck it back in. "Shit." He whispered. He hope Terry didn't hear him.

Terry peeped an eye open after feeling Korvo shuffle in the bed. "What happened?" He sat up slightly and peered over.

“M-mhmm.” Then he smelled it. The aroma of love— or rather, arousal, the same scent from when they were in the car. A smile grew on his lips. He didn't think Korvo would be having dirty thoughts about him while they were laying together. The sleep was still in his eyes, but he won't mind being kept awake by his favorite alien.

“You know,” He started while sliding his hand from Korvo's waist to his crotch, causing him to quietly moan. He whispered in his ear, “you’re a bad liar. I can smell when you’re horny.”

 _Shit._ Korvo had forgotten aliens like him release fumes when they're aroused. He felt Terry continue to palm at his crotch, then he felt a certain hardness pressing against his behind. It wasn't long until Terry was grinding against his ass. Korvo blushed, when Terry kissed the back of his neck and feeling his hand slip under his pants, playfully teasing his sex. He held onto Terry's hand while he moves his fingers to rub him, the warmth growing hotter in his loins. Korvo buried his face in the pillow to suppress a moan. 

This is wrong. Terry is with Kayden, right? From his knowledge, they were still together and happy. The fingers rubbing against him were disrupting his train of thought. He shouldn't be enjoying this, he shouldn't be letting Terry do this to him, but god— he doesn't want him to stop. 

Korvo didn't want to turn around. If he does, then that means he'll be his again, and he was afraid of giving himself to Terry again. What if they fight again? What if Terry decides to sleep on the couch and never come up? What if Terry falls out of love with him again? What if—

He gasps loudly as soon as Terry's finger slide inside him. Terry reached around and covered his mouth with his other hand. "Shh, don't wanna wake them up."

Terry continued to work his fingers in Korvo's wet hole, rubbing and touching the right places enough for him to squirm in his arms. Heavy breathing filled the room with suppressed moans and thighs rubbing together.

The lust gave him enough confidence to reach behind him to grab onto his lover's groin, causing him to flinch from the sudden movement. Terry releases his mouth. Korvo pulled his partner's root out and worked his way around jerking him off. He hears him pants from the pleasure building up, soaking his loins. Without much thought, Terry turned him over so that he's laying on his back instead of his side. They wasted no time in filling the space with kisses and breathlessness.

Korvo worked his arms up and around Terry's neck as he tried to roll on top of him, but they ended up falling off the small bed onto the cool wood of the floor.

"Owie," Terry groans, feeling something heavy on his pelvis. When he opened his eyes, a blush crept on his face. He examining his lover on top of him with his pants nearly off and his milky blue thighs straddling him. He gulps.

He grinded against him, moving closer as their roots entangled.

“Terry-” He wasted no time and stuck his root in Korvo's pseudo-pussy. "Ah!"

Korvo’s root found its way into Terry’s alien pussy. They moaned and breathed heavily as they moved slowly. Terry wrapped his arms around Korvo’s waist and thrusts up, covering his mouth to quiet himself down. 

All they could smell is the flowery aroma of lust lingering in the room, which acts like an aphrodisiac with the participating partners. Korvo began to grind against Terry’s member, as he watched how much fun Korvo’s having. His mind began to go blank when his legs started trembling as he came inside of Terry. He rode his orgasm as Terry came too. He felt their mixed sex juices beginning to drip.

When Korvo came down from his high, he threw himself off of Terry. “What did we just do?”

Terry moans, “I’m asking myself the same thing. My god, Korvo.”

Korvo got up and paced around, thinking about how he just fucked up by fucking Terry. “We’re not together, Terry. We shouldn’t be doing this.” He whisper.

He frowns, feeling hurt that Korvo might’ve regretted what they did. He didn't regret anything one bit because he wants Korvo like before. Korvo went to go put his pants back on and so did Terry. The sun was already peeking from the horizon. Had they spent all night just being all over each other? Terry ignored what Korvo said, as he doesn't want to deal with this emotional overload right now. “We should sleep.” 

They laid in bed together. Terry held onto Korvo, not wanting to let him go just yet.

Little did they know, Kayden saw the whole thing.


	2. Chapter 2

The morning was a chilly, bitter one, much like the empty space in her king sized bed. The coldness under her touch burned enough to wake her from her slumber. She doesn’t have to open her eyes to know that Terry wasn’t there. Her heart sinks again. The morning wasn’t the only thing that’s bitter. 

She had laid there for a few moments, eyes fluttering at the ceiling as she contemplates yesterday’s choices. Locking the door on him probably wasn’t her best idea— if anything, it was his fault for flirting with Korvo and making goo-goo eyes at him. Doesn’t he know how much he means to her? And to find that stupid green gem on the floor of her car was the salt to her injury. She always knew there was something more between them than just being roommates, aside from the fact that Korvo was raising his kid with him in their old house, but Terry didn’t tell her that detail. It wouldn’t be hard to guess considering how much Jesse looks like him.

After finding the strength to get out of bed, she finally opens the door to be hit with the breeze of a cold hallway. She went over to peer down the railing of the stairs to see if anyone was awake. No one was. Who would be awake at this time, only her.

The bathroom was further down the hall— right across Korvo’s room. If Terry wasn’t sleeping in the living room, then he must be in the bastard's room. The realization made her frown. Or perhaps she was overthinking it and he wasn’t there because she couldn’t see him over the couch covering the visage of his body. But she needed to find out.

Stepping away from the bathroom, she rests her hand on the door knob, gently turning it and creaking it open. Her eyes widened from the sight of the nasty blue alien with her boyfriend, sitting in a lesbian scissoring position on the floor. The light moaning sounds and pantslessness was a clear sign to her anxieties. They were boning. She closed the door.

If he wanted to play the game like that then so be it. Stepping to the side in front of the replicants’ room, she twists the knob unsurprised to find it unlocked. Having taken something of hers, she’ll take something of theirs.

Soon the sun rose higher into the sky turning it pale blue. The sounds of the bird's ugly squawk was loud enough to wake the sleeping blue alien as he quickly found himself wrapped around the green. A blush rose to his cheeks, realizing the sins he committed last night with Terry. He stiffens when his lover shifts in his sleep. Terry slept, clinging onto him as if nothing had changed between them. It was endearing seeing him comfortable despite sleeping in an awkward position because of the small size of the bed and how long his legs are. He wondered how he’s able to snooze so easily while bent like a zigzag. 

Korvo caressed his face, earning a mumble from the other. He smiled and planted a kiss on his face. Terry doesn’t need to know about his affections.

He got up from the bed and went to the bathroom. He was dehydrated from the alcohol and the sex. It would be terrible if his skin started to wither like a dead flower. On the way to his room, he noticed the replicants’ door was open and a blanket trailing out from the room. When he checked the room, the two younger aliens were gone.

At first, he thought they might be having breakfast or something. But when he went to check the living room, the kitchen, even the porch in the backyard, one thing was clear; the replicants were missing. His heart raced in his chest as the panic settled in. They are  _ missing. _ How could he let this happen? It isn’t hard to watch over younger clones of himself and his partner. If he hadn’t drank last night and slept with Terry none of this would happen.

On his way back upstairs, the door was slightly cracked open. How did he not notice this before? Going over to it, he’s met with the winter breeze and a missing car. Kayden’s missing car.

“Terry!”

Terry turned in his sleep, hand smacking against the empty space in the bed where he expected it to land on a soft plump body. “Hmmm..” He groans, too tired to open his eyes.

“Terry!” The yelling was louder this time, almost as if it was right in his ear. Then, he felt a pair of cool hands aggressively shake him by the shoulders, forcing him to crack open an eye. “She took the replicants!”

His eyes closed again, then opened them to see a blurry Korvo yelling in his face about Kayden taking the kids. A moment later, the thought processed and he shot up from the mattress. “WHAT?”

* * *

The trunk of the car bounced as it hit a bump in the road. The occasional knocking of the bodies and miscellaneous items sliding in the vehicle was enough to wake the young alien. He blinked a few times to assure that he’s actually awake and not dreaming or having sleep paralysis haunt him again. The car bumps again and his leg accidentally hits something else in the car. It was warm and it groaned: “Ow.” It was Jesse.

Yumyulack tried to sit up but his head bonked against the roof of the trunk. “What the f-” He touched the space that contained him, sliding his hands against the rough fabric. 

“Yumyulack-” The beeping of a nearby car driving by cuts her off, waking her up to the reality of the situation. “Why are we in a trunk?”

Her question went unheard and unanswered. The pounding of his heart was loud in his ears as the thought settled in. He was trapped in a small space, probably never getting out— he read online how humans would bury the dead in an enclosed space, those things called coffins. It freaked him out so much that he slept in Terry and Korvo’s bed for at least two months before being able to sleep alone again. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he was afraid that he’ll wake up in the coffin and nobody would hear his cries to let him out— or worse, he gets stuck with a dead body and having to lay in the confined space until the human cadaver eats him, like in the zombie movies.

Jesse noticed her brother scooting away from her, wheezing while he mumbled to himself about dead bodies and coughing? She couldn’t hear him that well from the sound of the car and the wheezing. “H- hey,” She reached over to assure him. She had never seen him like this before; scared. “It’ll be okay.”

When she was about to touch him, a spike went through her hand. She made a noise of pain.

“Why did you do that?” She yelled, holding the hand with a hole in it. 

“I- I dunno!” A spike poked up from the car, creating a hole. There Jesse saw how the suit was rapidly growing and retracting.

“Yumyulack, stop that!” She backed into the corner of the trunk, dodging away from the spikes that might hit her. She isn’t looking forward to having a new hole in her body.

A spike broke off the door of the trunk. “I can’t! I don’t know how.” He tells her. Another spike poke out of the suit, hitting against the wall, launching him out of the speeding car. 

“Yumyulack!” She yelled as the car drove further away.

He groans, adjusting to the feel of the hard ground. When he lifted his head, a truck was speeding towards him. Quickly, he laid flat down as the vehicle drove over him, leaving the kid unharmed.

After getting himself to safety, he pulled the gem from his shoe and crushed it under his feet. From what he remembered when Korvo explained it to him, the gem was a signaling device that, when crushed, would send a signal to the other gem wired to it. It was supposed to be used for emergencies, like if someone died and it can’t detect a heartbeat then it breaks on its own. But since, he’s not dead and it  _ is _ an emergency, he’ll live with only one life gem left.

* * *

The car whipped around the corner. Terry held tightly to the wheel, trying to think positive thoughts that his two “kids” are fine and haven’t died yet. They’re plants who can survive getting beheaded or drowning— almost anything on the death list.  _ Almost _ . They won’t survive getting shot in the face or set on fire, or getting launched into space. The gooblers were ready to pop out of his head from the many possibilities Kayden could do to end the lives of small plant teens. No, he won’t let that happen to them. But how the hell was he going to save them if he had no idea where they would be?

He glanced over at Korvo who still hadn't put his seatbelt on and was slipping his other shoe on. When he moved his gaze back to the road, Korvo touched his arm. “Terry, look.”

“I’m driving.” He says. 

Korvo pulled the blinking gem off his shoe and pulled the sci-fi tech phone from the grove compartment. Connecting the two items, the phone blinked a few times until it showed a map of where the other gem was located. “I know where they are.”

While they drove through the streets, the tracker device brought them into the highway. They stopped when they spotted Yumyulack waiting on the side of the road, not caring if other people were beeping their cars at them for parking in everyone’s way.

“Finally.” Yumyulack groans, getting inside the car.

“Where’s Jesse?” Terry asked, slightly relieved to see that Yumyulack was safe but anxious that Jesse wasn’t with him.

“Clearly, not with me, Terry!" He bursts, crossing his arms and sinking into the seat. It was bad enough that he felt guilty, but he wasn't going to accept the blame.

The car was silent after the outburst. Things raced through their minds, like Jesse dying or whether or not Terry would replicate her, if her remains were still there, or replicate himself again. Bit that would take more years. Unlike Shlorp, the soil here isn't top notch and would most likely result replication into a dumb brainless plant. They would still be a member off.

"She doesn't have a tracker." Terry mentioned, trying to hide the fret in his voice. "She could be anywhere."

“We might need to use the computer to track her via DNA.”

They took the next exit. The whole trip back Korvo couldn't stop himself from wondering if Kayden had already done the deed; kill her in cold blood. He tried to put himself in her shoes, be sympathetic— empathetic, towards the pychobitch and try to understand why she would kidnap someone— a child, no less! Sure, humans are idiots, if she wanted to get revenge, she could've done it to him in his sleep, cut something off, pour acid on him. That'll leave a nasty scar for years. She could've done anything to best him, even humiliate him for all he cared, to show that she was better for Terry than him. But to kidnap the replicants?  _ What a fucking dumb bitch. _

If it were Korvo, he would probably shrink her then dissect her with no anesthetics, then he would tell her how dumb she is and how disgusting her insides were. That would show her, anyone really, not to fuck with him. Or he could pop up another red goobler, shrink it, then put her in a cage with it so they'll fight. He shook the thought away, that'll never work. They'll both conspire against him and come up with a better diabolical plan than dissection and humiliation.

But still, he hoped Jesse was okay. 

When they got home, the rushed inside, not bothering to close the car doors, and got into the ship. Terry took a quick blood sample to track down where Jesse might be. Within a few seconds, Aisha found her in some deli in the same state. 

"This can't be right." Terry observed the map shown on Aisha's screen. "Why would she drive back home?"

Korvo thought it was strange too. A normal person would've taken their victim far away to some other place, but Kayden wasn't normal. Had he really underestimated her for having a better kidnap plan? No one would've guessed she took them back home and it would've been the last place they'd look before it was too late. It made him think that she's done this before. 

They packed some guns and knives for their rescue trip, even brought a miniature version of Aisha to help them. 

When they drove up to the deli, she warned them of more than just chefs and customers in the shop. "I suggest you take the back." She shows a hologram of a back entrance that goes underground.

This will probably he the last time Yumyulack goes to a deli, especially knowing that they have underground meat that isn't just made from animals. He observes the vegetable mixed together in a bowl.  _ They're vegan _ . He grimaces, feeling bad for the dead plants.

When they got down into the basement of the shop, it was bigger than any of them had anticipated. Terry wondered how a small deli shop almost in the middle of nowhere could afford a giant bunker like this. It  _ must _ be cheap since there were no security guards when they entered the place. 

He had spoken too soon as the "security guards" were guarding a different door. 

Yumyulack sees the straps of red on their arms, resembling the neo-nazis he and Jesse encountered at the bar that one time. He grabbed onto Korvo's arm, stopping him from moving. "Those guys are neo-nazis." He whispered. 

"You mean those people from the Green Room? I thought that was just in the movie."

They snuck to hide behind a large pillar. Terry wondered why Kayden would bring Jesse here, if he wanted to make her a knuckle sandwich, she could've just give it to him for cheating on her. 

While they tried to sneak past the men, Aisha says, "they're behind that door." 

It caught the attention of the big beefy men as they shot their gaze at the source of the sound. The three aliens froze in place while the men tried to comprehend why aliens were in the basement of a deli. It didn't matter because they were trespassing. They brought their shotguns up and prepared to shoot them, but Terry pulled Korvo and Yumyulack down, shoving them behind a wall. 

The blast from the shotgun had enough force to break a hole in the wall. Yumyulack got in front of his parents, close to the crossfire and says, "Watch this." 

They watched him pull out a lazer blade from his jacket, then stuck his arm out and flicked the pointy weapon in the direction of the shooting. The trick shot ceased the firing, and they peeked over to the side to find the knife wedged in between the shooter's eyebrows.

"Oh, my God! You killed him!" Said the other guy, and put up his gun. 

Terry took out his lazer gun in time and shot. His body falls with a thud sound. "Now that that's over with, let's go save Jesse!" 

The rest of the aliens cheered as they walked over the bodies they just killed and headed for the door.

* * *

Kayden sits in her underground office, legs lounged onto her desk while she watched her men prepare a bucket of acid. She lit a Marlboro, sucking in the nicotine and relaxed in her seat. Terry was supposed to be the one to face her wrath but killing his child would be better. He wouldn't be suffering if he was dead, but still she wished she could cause the same pain in her chest the same way he did to her. 

It's a shame that the tall one escaped. Now that would've been a bonus to kill Korvo's kin. She doesn't have any other reason than for the fact that he's a dick for coercing Terry and doing the opposite of backing off.

Jesse struggled against her restraints and screamed about how "Terry and Korvo are gonna save me and then they'll kill you!" She kicked against the ropes tied to her feet. "And they're gonna get back together after this when they realize how much of a bitch you are!"

"Seriously, kid? You're about to die and those are your last words?" Kayden took another suck of the smoke while playing with her pistol. A fear tactic that clearly didn't work on Jesse. 

Her eyes moved from the gun to the woman. "You wish!" She spits in her direction. "Terry can make more of me to kick your ass."

Now that was something worthy of her attention, considering the fact that Jesse is an alien. She would think that aliens have a different way of producing more of their species. Watching Alien vs. Predator as a kid gave her an active imagination and curiosity for aliens. She had never anticipated falling in love with one, or what she would call love. 

"What do you mean he can make more of you?"

"Uh- duh! I'm a clone? I look just like him." She answers casually.

"A clone, huh?" A smile crept onto her lips. She could do something better than kill her, which would solve nothing besides hurting Terry’s feelings. A good plan, but a better one would result in money, tons of it! By sending her over to the government and milk any alien advancement, would earn her millions! Why didn’t she think of this before? Right, she was falling for the otter green bastard. Now that nothing was standing her way, she could be rich. “Billions!” She laughed to herself.

Jesse rolled her eyes. “What’s so funny, coocoo lady?”

“Nothing, I have a better plan than killing you off.” Kayden got up from her seat, moving towards the front of her desk. 

“Well, why don’t you share with the class, Karen?” She says, sarcastically.

“I was getting to that before you interrupted me!” Her scream echoed. When the sound fades, she adjusts her hair and clears her throat, which made Jesse cringe at how cliche this was. “Anyway, I send you off to the government, they pay me and you’re their lab rat forever, especially since you’re a clone and all. Feed them whatever shit you know. It’s not my business and I don’t care.” She chuckles.

Jesse narrowed her eyes at the idiotic plan. “So you’re gonna send me to your leaders because I’m a clone and you think I’ll just give them information about it.”

Kayden leaned back and shrugged. “More like force it out of you, but yeah. Can you imagine? Cloning humans?”

“First of all, I’m cloned because that’s the only form of reproduction. Plus, I’m a fucking plant! You can already make more of yourselves by having sex or whatever! And you have guns and tanks.”

“You have a space ship!”

“It’s not mine. It belonged to the government and it died along with my planet, so thanks a lot for reminding me.” Jesse slumped in her seat. If she could cross her arms then she would.

“Look, I don’t give a fuck about you. I want my money and I want you gone. It’s a bonus if I get to see Terry cry from this.” Kayden puts out her cigarette, then takes out a rag and chloroform from her desk. She pours it into the cloth and goes over to Jesse. “I won’t hurt, I promise.”

“I’d rather have the aci—” 

Kayden pressed the damp fabric against Jesse’s mouth. After a few seconds, she had expected the green alien to pass out from the chemicals. She checked to see Jesse’s eyes were still open and staring up at her. “What?” Jesse took the chance to bite the lady. “Ow! You little shit!” She punched the little green alien. 

“I drink shit like that for breakfast, bitch!”

The sounds of guns going off stopped Kayden from attacking again. Jesse gasped, anticipation rising in her stomach. She knew her family would come for her. She was expecting they’d show up earlier.

There were more sounds of gunshots and screaming until it all fell silent. The two henchmen slowly pulled their guns out and aimed at the door.

Kayden gulped. “There’s no way they can break through this titanium door.”

Just when she was comfortable in the still silence, a screeching sound came from the other side of the door. The two men gripped their guns tighter and stiffen in place. A spot on the door began to slow a shade of dark red, but it soon began to slow brighter. Soon it created a circle in the metal, then it slowly popped out and made a hole in the door. From the other side, the four people in the room heard, “Dammit, Aisha, you could have warned us that there were more people behind that door. This better be the last one.”

Jesse recognized it as one of her parents. From the dramatic smoke that was left there for dramatic effect, came the people she had expected. They were covered in red from the dead neo-nazis who were too stubborn to give up and run with their lives. The two hetchmen were quickly assassinated by Yumyulack and his knife throwing skills, which leaves Kayden the only one alive.

“Shit.” She mumbled to herself, and backed away from the rest of the family.

Terry quickly runs to Jesse to try to untie her, but soon realize there was a bomb under her seat. It was pressured. If she got off the seat, then it would trigger an explosion. “No, don’t get up yet.” He tells her. “There’s a bomb under the seat.”

“Yeah, well, there’s acid waiting to fall on us.” She pointed to the ceiling at the bucket of toxins hanging there, waiting for a push of a button.

“Don’t worry, I’ll get you out.” Terry assured. 

“Wouldn’t be so sure about that, sweetie.” Kayden says loudly, keeping her eyes on everyone in the room. “Deactivate the bomb, the acid comes down too.” She ushered slowly towards her desk. If she shoots the acid tank then it’ll be game over for both of the green aliens. “Perhaps we can make a deal.” She stalled.

Korvo narrowed his eyes as he kept them on her as well as his aim. “What could you do that could make this any better?”

There was only one step left to reach the gun and escape. If she plans this correctly, she’ll leave with her life— no money, but at least she’ll be breathing. Or so she thinks. She bolts for the gun, quickly aiming at the tank, but Korvo shoots her first, putting a hole in her ribs. She falls behind the desk, holding onto her wound.

After a long moment of silence, Korvo goes around the desk to check the body and Yumyulack follows him. The body was laid flat on the floor, the blood pooling all around her. When Korvo kneeled down to check her pulse, he noticed the finger that held the gun twitched. Before he could take it away, Kayden swiftly got up and aimed at Yumyulack, pulling the trigger as she did. Korvo pushed his replicant away before the bullet hit him.

“Korvo!” Yumyulack gasped, watching him fall to the floor with a bullet wound in his chest. He went to hold him up, trying to keep him awake. He didn’t realize Kayden had gotten up and limped to the nearest exit.

Soon Terry was by his side. “Yumyulack, go deactivate the bomb.” At first, he sensed the hesitation, but the younger blue does what he is told and leaves Korvo to him. He holds onto Korvo. “Hey,” He caresses Korvo’s face, slapping him awake. He applied pressure on the wound to stop him from bleeding, but the blue just seeps through his fingers. “Stay awake, okay?”

“S- she put a hole through me, Terry.” Korvo coughed up the blood, rapidly losing consciousness. “I’m gonna die.”

“No, no you’re not going anywhere. I’ll kill you if you die.” The tears welled up in his eyes. 

Yumyulack examines the wires. Blue, red, yellow. If only he weren’t color blind then this would be easier. Bomb deactivation class has always been the hardest class to ace because he couldn’t see colors “correctly”. “Jesse, I might fuck this up.” He admits. “If the bomb explodes or the acid falls, or both…”

“What are you talking about?” She asks, finding it strange that his voice was somber all of a sudden.

“Just know, I’m glad that Terry and Korvo are partners because we wouldn’t be siblings if they weren’t. And you’re a piece of shit sister.” He says, before cutting all three of the wires.

They closed their eyes expecting to be faced with death, but nothing happened. Yumyulack was the first to open his eyes and realize it worked. “Holy shit! I take everything I said back!” 

“Even the part where I’m a piece of shit sister?”

“No, that still stays.”

“Guys, help me with him.” Terry called.

By the time they got out of the deli, Korvo was in and out of consciousness due to loss of blood. Terry kept checking to see if the wound healed, but it didn’t and he still kept bleeding. They rushed home and brought Korvo onto the ship and laid him onto the table. They were losing him by the second.

They watched Terry pace around looking through the medkits for anything to heal Korvo with. Nutrient spray didn’t even stop the bleeding. The color in his skin was slowly becoming paler while he thought of what to do. He had kept the replicants from entering the room just to spare them just in case Korvo doesn’t make it. “Shit!” He curses. He knew he shouldn’t have skipped in medical class and slacked off. Maybe he’ll be able to save Korvo if he wasn’t such an idiot.

And now, Korvo’s gonna die because of him. He doesn’t want to think of a future without him, raising the replicants and tending to the pupa by all himself, he couldn’t do it alone. They still had to repair the ship to leave this planet. Terry knows nothing about ship repair, couldn’t even listen to Korvo talk about it to save his life. He can’t do this without his partner. If he had stayed when Korvo kicked him out then maybe none of this would happen. 

He cried, planting his face into Korvo’s shoulder. He can’t do anything. “I’m sorry, Korvo.” When he brought his head up, he noticed that the wound was attempting to heal but something was in the way.

The air was light, literally. Korvo could see the air as little particles of light, which doesn’t make a lot of sense because gases weren't reflective. There were trees that were super tall and they had different colored leaves and bark. The tallest tree was the one in the middle. He could hear them all speak at once, until they began to repeat one thing at him: “You don’t belong here.” It wasn’t clear until now, Korvo was in limbo. He looks down at his wound to find the blue blood dripping out and even covering his hands in the color. It didn’t hurt as he thought it would.

The trees all pointed behind Korvo. He turns around and sees his family, but he couldn’t recall who they are. He doesn’t know who  _ he  _ is. He looks at the green one, thinking that he must’ve been someone special if his heart is rapidly beating. It was a nice feeling, but the emotion felt so distant, even muted to what the feeling should be. 

The trees repeated, “You don’t belong here.” They push him and he falls backwards into the ground, as if it was water but thicker. It pulled him until it no longer felt suffocating.

Terry put on some medical gloves and felt around where the bullet would be. He took the knife and stabbed the area next to the wound. Using the knife to feel around until it touches the bullet, Terry wedged the knife under the front of the metal and pushed it up until he could see the surface of the lead. Terry grabbed the forceps and pulled the bullet out. 

Taking the bottle of sterile liquid, Terry pours it on Korvo. The wound was so bad that the liquid made the wound steam as it rapidly began to close up. “You’re good now.”

* * *

The light of the setting sun casts on his face and wakes him up. He blinks a few times to adjust to the room. The last thing he remembered was getting shot and something about a bomb. He shot up, touching his chest to where the bullet was but finding a small scar there. He doesn’t remember surviving the shot, in fact he was sure that he died. 

“You’re awake!” His head turned to the source of the sound and he finds Terry coming towards him with a glass of water. 

He hands it to him to take and Korvo snatches it, taking a sip. Being dead makes one extremely thirsty. “What happened?”

“Kayden shot you. You lost a lot of blood and couldn’t heal because the bullet was still stuck inside.” Terry sat on the foot of the bed. “I did surgery on you to get the sucker out.”

Korvo nodded, trying to recall the events of the surgery but he nothings comes to mind. He doesn’t remember. However, he does remember telling Terry that he was gonna die, which reminds him, “wait, what about Kayden?” He asked, remembering that she’s still a problem.

“Don’t worry, it’s over between us.” He touches Korvo’s hand. 

“I meant, where did she go? What if she comes back?”

“Don’t worry, I stole some blood samples when you shot her. So, now we know her whereabouts.” Terry smiles, then he becomes solemn, narrowing his eyes at him. “You scared me, you know.”

Korvo stayed silent. He knew his actions were reckless, but he couldn’t just do nothing and watch his replicant get shot and probably killed. He expected Terry to be angry with him, but to his surprise, he wasn’t. It bothered him why Terry would let things go like it wasn’t an important matter. Yes, Terry made him more carefree, but that’s the problem. 

“I really thought you were gonna die.” Terry grazed his fingers against Korvo’s cheek as he slightly tilted his head down and away from looking at him. 

“Why aren’t you mad at me?” He looked him in the eyes, trying his best to not burst into tears or yell at him for easily forgiving him. “I told you that I hated you. You slept on the couch, we broke things, Terry. I kicked you out— you lived on the streets for a few months before getting with that bitch. The replicants were kidnapped— I nearly died because of this! Why aren’t you furious with me?” His voice was shaky and his lips were quivering. His body  _ had  _ to pick a time like this to betray him.

Terry gazed at his evacuation partner. It  _ was _ all of Korvo’s fault for getting them in this situation, but how could he be angry with him when all it does is separate them. For a while, Terry thinks that he should hate Korvo for causing him so much pain, but Korvo was also in pain too. He should hate him but he can’t. He was just as culpable for not being as honest as he should be and going out a lot for temporary pleasures. While Korvo worked hard to keep everyone safe, Terry didn’t want to be safe and went so far to trick him into the “temporary pleasures” too. But despite that, Korvo still wanted him. What Terry wanted to know is; “Why aren’t you?”

The room was too quiet for any of their liking. Usual talk like this ended up in something being thrown or something being yelled at, sometimes, if it was a special occasion, someone would get hurt. Korvo didn’t know why he wasn’t angry— well, he was but despite that, he didn’t want to let his partner go. After all that they’ve been through, no one else could understand him, or at least was there for him whenever he cried about being homesick and feeling alone, alienated by this planet’s inhabitants. Terry was there to assure him that he also doesn’t know what he’s doing. It made him feel safe knowing that they’re being idiots together. The good always outweighed the bad, even if the bad tricked him into an orgy with several college students and many different kinds of drugs and alcohol. They broke something on the ship that’s beyond repair.

Despite that, it was Terry who still tried to fix everything even if some things weren’t his fault. Deep down, he knew— when he kicked Terry out— that he would come back to him again; “Because you’re all I have.”

Terry gives a small smile and caresses Korvo’s face, giving him a peck on the cheek. “The difference between us is that I love you for you, not because you’re a last resort.”

“Terry—” 

He was met with a pair of lips to shut him up. “I don’t need you Korvo, not like how you need me.” He gets up and grabs onto the empty glass up.

Korvo quickly got out of bed and held onto Terry’s free hand. “Don’t go, not again.”

He turned back, holding a sob in his throat. “I’m not going anywhere. It’ll be how it was. Just us again.”

Korvo released his hand and watched him leave. Somehow nothing felt like it would be the same again.


End file.
